Censorship of anti-government sentiments is growing worldwide. For years, Americans have been accustomed to “man on the street” or “candid camera”-type interviews where a humorist asks random citizens about their opinions. In Turkey, such shows are secretly monitored by government police. Citizens who express negative opinions about government are arrested afterward. One Turk expressed the …
Category Archive: Free speech under siege
Aug 27
Global trend: anti-government protests are banned; pro-government protests are welcomed
The government of Berlin, Germany announced days ago that protests against government coronavirus decrees and commands are now banned. Protests IN FAVOR of such impositions, of course, are quite welcome. Theason? Public health (of course). “The interior minister, Andreas Geisel, said the ban was prompted by coronavirus skeptics “deliberately” breaking hygiene safety rules agreed with …
Jul 12
Modern pro-government “conservatism” was created by the CIA
The great LewRockwell.com writer Charles Burris has some keen insights into the development of modern pro-government “conservatism.” As government grew throughout the twentieth century, a strain of “conservatism” arose which seemed to support this vast new growth of government programs while quibbling at the margins with tax rates, or advocating more imprisonment or ever-more-powerful surveillance. …
Apr 02
News media sources in India are ordered to carry the official government version of COVID-19 developments
India’s highest court has ordered news media and social media sites to carry the government’s “official version” of developments regarding the alleged Coronavirus crisis, to curb independent reporting.
Feb 01
Chinese government enlists Facebook to censor news about coronavirus
The Chinese government is losing control of the narrative regarding the coronavirus. Nearly 12,000 people have been infected by the virus in China, and tourism to China has dropped considerably. Numerous stores and offices in China have closed and some airports have implemented quarantines of travelers. Now the Chinese government (and, it seems, other governments) …
Nov 28
Singapore is new ground zero for freedom of press
Singapore, one of the freest places on earth by some accounts, is struggling to throw off press repressions. The Singapore government recently imposed new laws purportedly aimed at stamping out fake news. “A blogger said on Thursday he would not comply with a Singapore government order to correct a Facebook post in the first test …
Nov 17
Twitter’s highest censor over Europe and Africa is revealed as a British government propaganda official!
Everyone knows that major social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and Youtube have recently been on censorship binges–blocking, deplatforming, removing and censoring antigovernment criticism or content. Most free press advocates have been lulled into inaction regarding this because the online media platforms are private firms rather than government agencies. But now it has …
Oct 20
Australian government is at war with free press
Australian papers are uniting to produce stories this week with most of their content redacted. The plan is in response to recent raids and assaults on the press by the Australian government. The government has imposed increasing “national security” restrictions on the press in recent years. Last year a court order prevented media from reporting …
Sep 09
Be Afraid: Government News Agencies are Teaming Up Worldwide to “Fight Misinformation”
The Agence France-Presse (AFP), the world’s oldest news agency (which is affiliated with the French government) is teaming up with the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) (a branch of the British government) and other news organizations in a global initiative to combat nongovernment and anti-government news (which they call “misinformation.”) See here. These government news bureaus …
Aug 17
Another teen arrested for “threatening” federal agents–over social media posts
Every government that ever existed sought to equate criticism of government with ‘terrorism,’ ‘treason’ or threats. Prior to the American Revolution, Brits could be criminally prosecuted for merely imagining the death of the king. (Numerous figures in English history were executed for merely imagining the death of the king in poetry or prose.) In the …